Now she is back with her second, much anticipated, cookbook, Good Things – a more personal offering and, this time, a lot more recipes. Although fans will be pleased to know Nosrat is still making up her own rules.
Persian influence is, of course, at the heart, but her flavours stretch far and wide. You’ll find joojeh kabob roast chicken and preserved lemon and labne cake, next to made-from-scratch focaccia and spaghetti cacio e pepe, as well as handy techniques generously peppered throughout Nosrat’s storytelling.
Sky-high focaccia
Ingredients
(Makes a 46 x 33cm focaccia)
Requires 4 hours, plus 12 to 24 hours for proofing and another 4 hours for final proof and bake
720g warm water
2¼tsp (7g) fast-action dried yeast
½tsp (4g) honey
800g strong white flour
2tbsp plus ½tsp (20g) kosher salt
46g extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for dough handling and tin
Flaky salt, for sprinkling
Method
1. In a very large bowl, stir together 600g of the water, the yeast, and the honey. Let sit for 5 minutes, until frothy.
2. Use your hands or a large spoon to mix the flour into the yeast mixture until all the flour is incorporated. Cover with a clean, damp tea towel and let sit for 30 minutes.
3. Add the remaining 120g water, the kosher salt, and the oil. Use your hands to incorporate. As the dough absorbs the salt, it will behave sort of strangely, seeming to fall apart – this is fine. Just keep kneading and squeezing it with your hands – it’ll come back together eventually, especially once it has a chance to rest.
4. Cover the bowl with a damp tea towel and set it in a warm spot to continue proofing. Every 30 minutes or so for the next 2½ hours, turn the dough. (Note that each turn consists of four quarter-turns, or folds.) With wet hands, gently loosen the dough from the north side of the bowl. Stretch the dough up until it resists, then fold it towards the south side of the bowl. Give the bowl a quarter-turn and repeat. Repeat twice more to end up where you started. Cover with the damp towel. During this first turn, the dough may not yet be relaxed enough to tolerate all four folds, but do your best. As the dough relaxes, it’ll become more elastic, and each turn will be more gratifying!
5. After about 3 hours total, the dough should be billowy and have doubled in volume. If not, continue to let rise and turn for up to 1 hour longer, moving the bowl to a warmer spot if necessary. After the final set of folds, gather up the edges of the dough into the centre as if you’re making a massive dumpling, and then carefully flip it to tuck the join underneath. Gently coat the top of the dough with a little oil, seal the bowl with clingfilm or a lid, and refrigerate for 12 to 24 hours.
6. Generously coat the bottom and sides of a 33 x 46cm baking tin with nonstick cooking spray, then drizzle with 2 to 3 tablespoons oil. Gently transfer the dough to the tin, cover with clingfilm or a lid, and set in a warm spot to come to room temperature for 30 minutes. With lightly oiled hands, gently stretch the dough to fill the tin, then drizzle with another 2 to 3 tablespoons oil. Return the pan to a warm spot and allow to proof for 30 minutes.
7. Gently stretch the dough again to fill the entire tin. Repeat the stretching twice more over the next hour, then continue proofing the dough untouched until it’s jiggly, bubbly, and flush with the top of the pan, 1 to 2 hours longer, depending on the ambient temperature. (Don’t rush this step – it will make all the difference in getting the tallest, chewiest focaccia possible!)
8. Meanwhile, adjust an oven rack to the lowest position, place an overturned baking tray on the rack, and preheat to 230°C. Once the dough is flush with the top of the tin, dip the pads of your fingers in any oil that’s pooled in the corners of the tin. Spread your fingers wide like a piano impresario and make dimples across the entire tin of dough, pressing firmly to the bottom of the tin (this is the fun part!). Sprinkle evenly with flaky salt.
9. Place the baking tin with the focaccia on the overturned baking tray in the oven and bake for 25 to 28 minutes, until the corners are pulling away from the tin and the top is golden brown and glistening. If the top needs a little more browning, transfer to the top rack and bake for 3 to 5 minutes longer.
10. Cool the focaccia in the tin for 5 minutes, then use a thin flexible metal spatula to gently loosen it from the tin. Cool completely on a wire rack before slicing. Store for up to 3 days wrapped in a paper bag inside of a plastic bag (this prevents the salt from dissolving). Bring back to life with a quick toast. Freeze for up to 3 months.
Curried carrot and coconut soup
Ingredients
(Makes about 2 litres)
For the soup:
60ml coconut oil
3 shallots, diced
One 5cm piece fresh ginger, peeled and thinly sliced
1 lemongrass stalk, cut into 7.5cm pieces
Kosher salt
1.4kg carrots, peeled and sliced 2cm thick
765g coconut milk
100g to 130g Thai red curry paste, or to taste
3tbsp fish sauce
720ml to 960ml chicken stock or water
For the garnish:
115g salted, dry-roasted peanuts
55g dried desiccated coconut flakes
2tbsp fish sauce
8 small dried red chillies, such as chiles de árbol, thinly sliced
1tbsp coconut oil, melted
1tbsp minced lemongrass
1tbsp sugar
10 makrut lime leaves, thinly sliced (optional)
Handful of Thai basil leaves
2 to 3 limes, quartered
Method
1. Adjust an oven rack to the centre position and preheat to 150°C.
2. To make the soup, melt the oil in a large casserole over medium-high heat. When the oil shimmers, add the shallots, ginger, pieces of lemongrass, and a generous pinch of salt. Reduce the heat to low and cook, stirring occasionally, until the shallots are tender and just starting to brown, about 18 minutes.
3. Increase the heat to high and add the carrots, coconut milk, curry paste, fish sauce, and 720ml of the stock. As the soup comes to a boil, partially cover the pot and reduce the heat to keep the liquid at a gentle simmer. Cook the soup until the carrots are completely tender, about 25 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, to make the garnish, in a medium bowl, combine the peanuts, coconut flakes, fish sauce, chillies, oil, lemongrass, sugar, and lime leaves (if using). Spread the mixture out on a baking tray in a single layer. Bake until the coconut is a deep golden brown, 18 to 20 minutes, stirring every 3 minutes after the first 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and pour the mixture immediately into a bowl to prevent overcooking. Stir to combine and set aside.
5. Remove the soup from the heat and discard the lemongrass. Use an immersion blender to purée the soup. (Alternatively, transfer soup in batches to a blender or food processor and purée.) Taste and adjust for salt and curry paste. Add more stock or water to thin soup to the desired consistency.
6. Thinly slice the Thai basil leaves and arrange on a small plate or platter, along with lime wedges and the peanut mixture. Serve the soup hot with garnishes.
Joojeh kabob roast chicken
Ingredients
(Serves 4)
Requires overnight marinating
1 whole chicken (1.6 to 1.8kg)
Kosher salt
½tsp saffron threads, ground and bloomed
1tbsp tomato purée
4tbsp freshly squeezed lime or lemon juice
365g natural yogurt or buttermilk
1 brown onion, thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, finely grated
½tsp coarsely ground black pepper
Method
1. The day before you plan to cook, spatchcock the chicken and generously season it with salt on both sides. Let the chicken sit at room temperature while you prepare the marinade.
2. In an extra-large zip-lock plastic bag, whisk together the bloomed saffron, tomato purée, and lime juice until evenly combined. Add 2 tablespoons (18g) kosher salt and the yogurt, onion, garlic, and pepper. Add the chicken, seal the bag, and squish the yogurt all over the chicken. Place it on a rimmed plate and refrigerate. If you’re so inclined, over the next 24 hours you can turn the bag so every part of the chicken gets marinated, but it’s not essential.
3. An hour before cooking, remove the chicken from the yogurt and scrape off any aromatics. Bring the chicken to room temperature.
4. Adjust an oven rack to the centre position and preheat to 220°C.
5. Arrange the chicken, breast-side up, on a wire rack set over a baking tray (line the tray with parchment to make clean-up easier). Cook until the chicken is a dark golden brown and the juices run clear when you cut between the leg and the thigh, about 45 minutes. (Loosely cover the chicken with a piece of foil for the last 10 minutes if the skin is getting too dark.)
5. Let the chicken rest for 5 minutes before serving with crispy rice, garlic and herb labneh, and Shirazi salad.
Good Things by Samin Nosrat is published in hardback by Ebury Press. Photography by Aya Brackett. Available now.
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